We are big fans of matryoshka dolls (Russian nesting dolls) here. I think I was more excited than my girls to have found this 2 tiered bento box on line.

Little Miss 4 year old had her new bento box today full of fresh fruits and vegetables. On the left are pineapple chunks and red seedless grapes with a carrot flower on top. One the right side are Rudi’s brand spelt tortilla wraps with almond butter, carrots and green apples julienned and sliced with cherry tomatoes and a cucumber flower below.

For her snack today, she has a Happy Tiffin packed with organic peaches slices, plums and raspberries. Not shown is her Kleen Kanteen bottle with ice water.

My kids love Play Doh. I really hate the mess it leaves. What I DO love is the Play Doh cutters. As a bento lunchfreak, I look at everything as an idea for a lunch. I have used Play Doh and play kitchen cutters (well washed, of course) to cut kid foods before. I used a cookie cutter this sandwich to make the princess crown. The sandwich is Justin’s Almond Butter & Jam on Rudi’s whole grain bread. I also stuck a few candy hearts on the crown for the jewels with almond butter. At the top left are kiwi flowers and the top right are watermelon shoes and magic mirrors for my little princess.

This time of year seems to drain many of us having to buy new shoes, school supplies, uniforms, tuition and just paying for growing kids in general. Cristi from BentOnBetterLunches did a great post on how to make budget bentos. She is a mom of 5, and has such a wonderful eye for organization, fresh ideas and keeping kids well fed. I love that she finds use out of every day items like Play Doh cutters, paper muffin cups and rubberbands that make great bento items. Her post here on Budget Bento by BentOnBetterLunchescan help give you some creative ideas for lunches without spending a penny! Thanks for the inspiration, Cristi.

Little Miss A, my 2 year old, is having mini square sandwiches. She has been licking the filling off of the bigger sandwiches I made for her and leaving the bread. When I switched to something more bite sized, she seems to pop the whole thing in her mouth. I used the FunBites Cube It cutter to cut the bread and then filled the sandwiches. In the middle is a silicone heart shaped container with seasoned pumpkin seeds. The sandwiches are surrounded by dried cranberries. At the top left are raspberries with a kiwi heart on top and at the top right are watermelon flowers. The lunch is packed in a LunchBots Duo stainless container.

Chevrons have resurfaced in design, fashion and now I’m putting them into my food. I love them. The bright colored Vs in this salad are all different colored sweet peppers. Underneath the salad is baby spinach and around the salad are cucumber flowers packed in an Easy LunchBox. At the top left are carrot & celery sticks and at the top right are fresh nectarine slices & raspberries.